Air Crash Prompts Safety Session For Pilots

October 13, 2000|By KEN KAYE Staff Writer

June's midair collision between an aerobatics plane and a Learjet shook up South Florida's general aviation community.

In light of the accident, which killed four, the Florida Aero Club plans to hold a free safety seminar on Saturday to encourage local pilots to keep their cockpit skills sharp when flying around the busy South Florida skies.

"After the Boca midair, holding this seminar became more important on my radar scope," said Gary Hellman, co-chairman of the seminar. "I've been concerned about the horror stories -- the close encounters -- I've heard about."

The seminar will be 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Cav Air hangar at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. A complimentary lunch will be provided.

The seminar will address instrument and visual flying procedures. Guest speakers include Federal Aviation Administration officials as well as air traffic controllers who work in the area's towers and radar complexes.

Event organizers say they expect between 150 and 200 pilots to attend.

"We'll talk about how air traffic control and pilots work together to ensure the sky is safe for people in the air and people on the ground," Hellman said.

"Our primary mission is just to make people more aware of what they need to do to get through South Florida airspace safely," he said

On June 23, an Extra 300S took off from Pompano Beach Air Park, aiming toward a private airstrip west of Boynton Beach. It collided at 2,300 feet with a Learjet 55 that had just taken off from Boca Municipal Airport.

The pilot of the aerobatics plane and three pilots in the Learjet were killed. The National Transportation Safety Board has yet to issue a probable cause for the accident, but local pilots think the ill-fated planes' pilots did not see each other until it was too late.

Shortly after, on Aug. 9, there was a midair collision in southern New Jersey that killed 11. One of the planes was a trainer, carrying a flight instructor and a pilot seeking a higher rating. The other was a twin-engine charter plane.

"Although midair collisions account for about 1 percent of all aviation accidents, they take an inordinate amount of lives," Hellman said.

The Florida Aero Club is a nonprofit organization that promotes safety. It has 150 members in South Florida and nearly 1,000 statewide. For more information on the seminar, call Hellman at 954-493-6567.